My name is Ashley Gill, and my family and I moved to Atchison about 15 years ago when I was in elementary school. I attended the public schools and later went on to graduate from Benedictine College in 2007, majoring in Business. I have been working at MGP since 2010 when I started my internship with the company. I am also actively serving on two boards. DoVES—a domestic violence and emergency services shelter, and Atchison Community Educational Foundation—a scholarship program offering students the ability to attend Benedictine College.

After taking this class, I hope to complete a community project that has a significant impact in Atchison. I want to build relationships that will help enable me to create positive change in the place I call home. Leadership is something that is truly valuable and it has the potential to create change for the good.

When I first arrived in Atchison, I remember asking my mom, “What is that smell?” never thinking that years later I would end up working for the company that creates the now familiar smell. MGP has been in Atchison since 1941, nearly 75 years ago, and provides a host of naturally derived specialty ingredients that have been developed for use primarily in food, beverage and household product applications. I enjoy working in my current role and am fortunate to work at a company that not only creates value for its customers, but also for the communities in which it operates.

Living in Atchison for nearly all of my life, Main Street has become fairly familiar to me. It was the first road I legally drove on after obtaining my license, and in fact is the road that I travel most living in Atchison. It has seen many changes over the years with several new developments being established along either side.

Atchison has some of the most beautiful scenery around, you just have to take the time to stop and take them all in. A great place to take a walk and enjoy the sunset is out at Warnock Lake.

My family is my rock. They have helped shape me into the person that I am today. They are what brought me to Atchison and what keep me in Atchison. This might sound strange considering my family no longer lives in Atchison; however, this still remains true. My family is not only my biological family, but the friends, colleagues and community members that support me to this day.